Breath Of Life
by Eirenei
Summary: AU-verse: It took only one tiny moment to re-shuffle the already dealt cards into the hands of players again, not that they knew of it. But with this single action, the rules of the game have changed. The only thing left was to find out who will rise... and who will fall.
1. Chapter 1

_**BREATH OF LIFE**_

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own _Bleach_ , or _Tokyo Ghoul_ or the characters involved herein - they belong to their respective owners.

 _ **Summary:**_ It took only one tiny moment to re-shuffle the already dealt cards into the hands of players again, not that they knew of it. But with this single action, the rules of the game have changed. The only thing left was to find out who will rise... and who will fall.

 _ **Shout Out:**_ Another one of my pet projects gnawing at my brain late in the night. I know, I should be writing for all other ones, but this stubbornly wiggled in-between. I don't know why am I even trying to stave them off at this point. I watched _Tokyo Ghoul_ and this happened.

 _ **Warnings: AU-verse, SLASH, **_ ghouls around and Seireitei being shaken off their throne as top dogs sometime in the future. _**Not beta-ed. Won't be chronologically correct**_

* * *

 ** _Intro_**

 _Karin had been taken_. The hat-wearing blonde man grimaced.

This was not good.

He had thought that Kurosaki-chan, as he called the ornery black-haired substitute reaper would be exempt from the harsh laws of Seireitei, but it seemed that Byakuya-chan had become quite a cold-hearted individual, what with him hitting her into unconsciousness and then taking her to where he came from, along with Rukia-chan.

Rukia-chan was an expected casualty. He knew just what kind of crime the petite violet-eyed girl was committing when she parted with her powers in order to give Kurosaki-chan a chance to defend her little family.

But Karin - Karin was an unwanted and unnecessary casualty, just because of her involvement that strange night.

And now, he would have to tell Isshin. Pale grey eyes darted to the phone in the corner of the room, it's antiquated, black presence looming ever threateningly in the shadowed corner, voicelessly mocking and taunting his hesitation.

He would have to tell Isshin and worse... he would have to tell Yuzu.

It was bad enough that the tiny family had suffered the loss of their mother, and then in the same evening, their little family had shrunk for one more member.

Urahara couldn't help but wince at the thought. While Isshin was a certified goof, he did love his family fiercely. But all of his love didn't stop the schism that grew between him and his eldest, finally coming to a head when the boy decided to go to school in Tokyo instead of Karakura. There had been an enormous row over the decision, with Isshin trying to convince his son to stay home, but in the end, he had to let him go, even as young as he had been at the time.

He swallowed. He didn't know much about this eldest, aside his name, and that he resided in Tokyo.

If not Isshin, then _him._ Hesitating only for a moment, he then reached for the earphone and began to dial the never-used (until now) phone number he had scavenged off Karin's phone.

God help him... because there was no fury like concerned elder brother of one Kurosaki Karin.

After what seemed to be a small eternity, but were in reality only five to ten minutes, the call went through.

"Yes?" A brisk male voice came through the receiver, causing Urahara to blink and straighten his posture.

"Ah… am I speaking to one Kurosaki Ichigo?" His voice was unusually tentative, and Urahara cursed himself for sounding so timid, like a boy with his first crush.

"On the phone. Who are you and what do you want in the middle of the fucking night?" The person on the other side of the phone sounded increasingly cranky, and Urahara winced. The fellow didn't seem to be one to joke around with, and his usually pleasant tenor was slightly croaky, as if he was just woken up from his sleep.

"It's Karin." He managed to speak out. "She was kidnapped."

 _"_ _What did you say?"_ The voice that came over the receiver was cold enough to freeze the sun with how glacial it was. Urahara gulped. His fingers clenched around the receiver reflexively. He already regretted making a call, however urgent it may have been.

Maybe he should have called Isshin first…

His throat bobbled as he swallowed and exhaled suddenly too thin air out of his lungs before he inhaled, preparing himself .

"She is in a grave danger. I can't say anything more, but I need you to come to Karakura, as soon as possible." His voice was thankfully brisk and to the point.

"Does Goat-face know?" The cold tenor on the other side didn't waver. Unwillingly, Urahara had to admire the man's composure. Not many people would react this calm when they were literally hauled up in the middle of the night and told that their younger sibling was kidnapped and facing certain death.

"No. Neither does Yuzu… for the time being. I didn't want to bother them. " The words tasted like ashes on his tongue, the taste of failure he was all too familiar with. "I will have someone on the train station to wait on you."

"Understood."

With that, the connection was cut, leaving Urahara with only the mournful beeping of the machine in his ear, strangely similar to the death toll.

For the first time in a long while, Urahara prayed that he didn't make a mistake when he called Karin's enigmatic big brother to the girl's rescue.

* * *

"Where are you going?" A muffled question came from the door, it's owner slightly groggy still as he had been woken some moments before.

He paused in the frantic packing of the objects in his trusty duffle bag.

"Home. Karin was kidnapped."

Now wide awake, platinum colored eyes looked at the red-clad back of the packing male.

"I am coming with you." The soft voice stopped the frantically packing young man cold. Whiskey brown eyes looked back at the person leaning against the door frame. "You don't have to. It will be dangerous and it doesn't – "

"Maybe I am not involved but I want to help." The soft voice interrupted him as its owner moved forward, placing a deceptively slender hand on the red-clad shoulder.

Orange eyebrows furrowed with discontent. "You shouldn't – "He tried to protest, but a glare from those uniquely colored eyes snapped his mouth shut.

"I am your friend. If I want to help you, I will. "

The glaring contest between the two of them lasted for a tense moment, before the red-clad male's shoulders relaxed infinitesimally and he offered his companion a tiny smile.

"In that case… Thank you."

Usually cool platinum eyes warmed a fraction, and after briefly squeezing the shoulder his hand was clutching to, he moved on to start his own packing.

Time was of an essence, after all.

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued**_


	2. 001 - Who We Are

**_BREATH OF LIFE_**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:** _ I don't own _Bleach_ or _Tokyo Ghoul_. Or the songs mentioned from this point onwards. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.

 _ **Shout Out:**_ Right. As noted in the first chapter, this will veer off the official story-line very quickly. This time, the inspiration is scary similarity of one certain Quincy archer who is obsessed with needlework with a certain prodigy when it concerns ghoul extermination. Don't believe it? Go see it for yourself.

 _ **Warnings:** __**AU-verse, SLASH;**_ a certain Quincy gets to meet his counterpart.

* * *

 _ **001 – Who We Are**_

A week later after Karin's disappearance, the preparations to invade the Soul Society were finished.

The three teenagers stood in front of the shopkeeper - and a cat - in an unusually grim mood. They were a ragtag bunch - a big, half - Mexican teenager clad in a colorful flower - printed T shirt, with his wavy hair hiding his eyes. The single girl in the group had a long, sunset-orange colored hair, held back with her hairpins. She was clad in a simple trousers with a beige T-shirt what hugged her figure nicely, along with wearing sneakers. The last person wore glasses and was clad in strange white coat above his normal clothes.

"So what are we waiting for ?" The bespectacled youth snapped at the shopkeeper who was hiding his face behind the paper fan. "You've already explained us how the gates work.

The shopkeeper nodded. "I did. However, there will be two additional persons to accompany you through the gate." He blinked at the white-clad teen outraged glare.

"You are joking! Just who do you think to throw along with us and why weren't we aware of it?" He snapped, dark blue eyes glaring at the unrepentant keeper who straightened up and snapped the fan shut. Grey eyes glared back at the impudent whelp. "Silence. They have more right than you to pass through the gate." Urahara snapped at the unrepentant Quincy brat. Oh, he knew what Ishida was - it wasn't a long shot in the dark, what with his cute little clothes.

"Why?" The girl's innocent question prompted Urahara to turn his attention to her and give her a half smile.

"Because he's Karin's big brother."

"Indeed." The little group was startled by the cold voice behind them. And there they stood.

"Wah! Ishida-kun, I didn't know you had a twin!" Orihime squealed, clutching her hands in front of her chest. "Does he have a robot?" She asked, stars in her eyes.

Contrarily to her excitement, Ishida was positively _horrified._

It was like looking at a double of himself - if that double had dark blue hair instead of black – a bit messier too, and mercury grey eyes instead of deep blue ones. The teen was also slightly smaller than him, and a bit more fragile looking. He was clothed in dark blue trousers with short-sleeved button-up shirt and carried a guitar case on his back. His feet were clad in ordinary black shoes.

"Fuck no! I don't have any siblings!" He spluttered, as he backed away from the silent anomaly as he pointed comically at the still silent guitar-wearing doppelganger. "Besides, I am a Quincy, and he's - he's - whatever he is!"

His unfortunate doppelganger tilted his head. "Nice to meet you." He intoned, his voice soft. "I hope we'll get along." Ishida backed away even further.

"You're _creepy!_ " He blurted out, much to Urahara's amusement. "And what's with your guitar case! We are not intending to serenade them, you know?"

"And you are a prejudiced bastard." The cloaked form behind his doppelganger's back snapped at Ishida, making him whip his head toward the source, glaring at the person hidden beneath the dark red cloak, not that it helped him any. "I still have to pick a bone with you for breaking that Hollow bait in the middle of a _civilian_ population without _any_ backup in the case things went wrong."

He strode forward and Ishida flinched.

"You're Karin's brother." Chad finally spoke up, nodding at him.

The now identified form nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for having her back." The previously glacial voice warmed slightly as he addressed the quiet giant, causing him to duck his head with a small, bashful smile on his lips.

"Wasn't any problem." He rumbled.

"Soo… if you finished with introductions, shall we move on? Tick-tock, time is a-wasting, you know?" Urahara sing-songed, only to yelp as his leg was introduced to the sharp feline claws.

"Yoruichi?" He asked, confused as the ball of fur shivered behind his leg.

"W-Why did you have to call _them!?"_ The feline hissed at him, golden eyes wide with fear.

"He - " Urahara pointed at the still cloaked form "Is her brother. And he - " He jabbed his closed fan in the direction of Ishida's twin – "Came with him. Would you rather I called her father?"

If cats could blanch, this one was doing very good impression of it, despite its night-dark fur.

"R-Right." The feline squeaked out. "But you _do_ know what they _are_?"

Gray eyes blinked as the shopkeeper opened the fan with flair.

"Know it?" He chirped. "Nope!"

"They _reek_ of blood!" The cat howled at him. "Not only that but it's a – "

"Keep your muzzle shut, kitty." The cloaked form's ice cold voice snapped the mentioned feline's mouth shut faster than lightning. "It's not any of your business. Now, shall we proceed?"

"R-Right. What shall we call you, then?" The cat's voice still shook, confusing the three teens, The two weren't _that_ dangerous were they?

The Ishida-near-double inclined his head. "Arima Kishou. Call me Arima, please."

The red-cloaked form moved slightly.

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued**_


	3. 002 - My Hero

**_BREATH OF LIFE_**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:** _ I don't own _Bleach_ or _Tokyo Ghoul_. Or the songs mentioned from this point onwards. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.

 _ **Shout Out:**_ A little bit late for my tastes, but real life work really waits for no one, least of all me, much to my ire. I am surprised this story has gained your attention, as this particular crossover is not very well known to a wider audience, but I am happy all the same. Care to guess whose song was inspiration this time? _ **  
**_

 _ **Warnings:**_ **AU-verse,** _ **SLASH;**_ and Rukia's thought on the farce she and Karin had found themselves in. .

* * *

 _ **002 – My Hero**_

" _He_ is coming."

Three words, Three words that made Karin dizzy with sickness and relief, causing her to slump on the floor, much to Rukia's concern.

"Hey! Karin! Are you alright?" The Kuchiki heiress asked, blue eyes wide with concern as she gently shook the shaking and sobbing ex-substitute Shinigami by her shoulders.

Karin wasn't doing well what with her powers being cut so sort after receiving them. Additionally, she was taken from her home, just because her crime was to defend her family and soon - only too soon - she would face the execution at the dawn.

"I'm okay - I mean, I'm not, but I am." The dark-eyes girl blabbered, a silly smile on her face as the tears trailed down her cheeks. "He shouldn't have, really. That stubborn Nii-chan of mine…."

She hiccupped and sniffled.

Rukia felt her eyebrows scrunch with confusion. "Your Nii-chan - what –"

Karin gifted her with one of her brilliant, if only-too-rare smiles, causing her to gasp at the tender look on her face.

"You don't know. But I- I have another sibling. My Nii-chan. My Ichigo. And…" Karin swallowed the thick ball in her throat. "He is coming for us."

Rukia stared.

 _Nii-chan._ Karin's older brother. The one she didn't know about. Just how many things was Karin hiding from her?

"But that's a suicide!" She snapped, biting her lip, not allowing herself to hope. "He isn't - he isn't one of us!"

Karin laughed. At first, she chuckled, and then, the chuckles changed into giggles, before they became an outright, almost hysteric laughter, chilling Rukia to her very bones.

"He is my Nii-chan. He can do _anything_." The faith in her voice was the faith of a believer, the person who knew the one they believed in could give them moon and sun and stars if they only hinted at wanting them for their amusement, the unwavering belief of a younger sibling in their elder one.

"You will see. I know it." Karin's pale face was finally relaxed, as if a big burden had fallen from her shoulders, causing Rukia's heart to throb with the unexpected pain.

"There goes my hero." The ex-substitute Shinigami whispered, a tremulous smile on her limps as she relaxed in Rukia's hold.

"Your hero, huh." Rukia mused as she watched the younger girl hum a song under her breath as he slowly sunk into an exhausted sleep.

Well, if nothing else, at least Karin's brother cared for her like a family member should.

Hunching into herself, Rukia began to tread her fingers through the younger girl's hair thoughtfully.

Maybe - just maybe - that Ichigo person could be her hero, too.

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued_**


	4. 003 - Absolute Beginners

**_BREATH OF LIFE_**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own _Bleach_ or _Tokyo Ghoul_. Or the songs mentioned from this point onwards. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.

 _ **Shout Out: ****Adel Mortescryche.**_.. How Did You _Know?!_ I swear, I thought I had camouflaged the pairing well enough, no mention of the duo anywhere, no siree, and then _bam,_ you come and casually mention the two of them like it's most natural thing in the whole wide world. Upon receiving your review, I sat frozen in front of my screen, my eyes like those of a freaked out kitten and if I had a tail, it would surely be puffed out to exhibit the signs of extreme surprise, too. Congratulations, this chapter is for you! _ **  
**_

 _ **Warnings:**_ _ **AU-verse, SLASH;**_ .and thanks to the wonderful Adel, I can now proudly, even if a bit sulkily, add _**Kurosaki** **Ichigo/Arima Kishou** _ (younger version, of course)

* * *

 _ **003 – Absolute Beginners**_

' _They can go to hell.'_

This was the only thought when Ichigo told him that his sister was kidnapped.

He knew he had duties to CCG. It was practically unheard of the good boy Arima Kishou to do anything but follow the orders.

But since he had met Ichigo –

\- everything has changed.

The stubborn orange-haired, hazel-eyed teen who was more snappy than not, and getting into more scuffles than Arima ever thought possible for someone who was _not_ a delinquent, thank you very much. Surprisingly, Ichigo's grades placed him among the thirty of best of the students of his school, which, considering the size of it, was no small feat. For some reason, nobody took him seriously.

Maybe it was the hair.

Bright, vivid, sunrise orange. It made his fingers itch to touch it, to verify for himself that it was just as warm as the real thing was. Arima had to force himself to concentrate on listening to teacher - or at least paying his attention to teacher - instead of that vivid orange spiky mass that masqueraded as Kurosaki Ichigo's hair.

The mission he had been given should've been relatively simple.

Lantern was, despite its gruesome _modus operandi,_ relatively simple ghoul.

Until then, his life was dull - or as dull as one's life could be, when they are one of the undercover Special Investigators in CCG.

But everything became complicated once Ichigo entered the picture.

Stubborn, loud and not budging an inch when his teammates were threatened. Even if it almost cost him his life.

It was by a pure dumb luck Arima was fast enough to save him (the teammates had managed to run away).

And then, Ichigo insisted on helping him with the case.

Arima was doubtful, but one look into those eyes, and he found himself agreeing without a thought.

The night after they had confronted the Lantern, Arima made his decision.

It was a simple one.

He became Ichigo's friend.

* * *

His mission may have been finished, but he continued with his schooling - his superiors were understandably confused, but allowed him this little measure of freedom - and in doing so, he made even stronger bonds with one Kurosaki Ichigo. The orange-haired teen could be likened to a human hedgehog - all prickles and sharp needles outside, but once someone made it past those spiky walls, they could be assured that they found themselves a friend for life and beyond.

Ichigo may have snarled and barked and was generally seen as a grumpy kind of person, but Arima could see that tender core many of others had overlooked glimpse of when they were dealing with the cranky youth.

The way he took care of the abandoned kittens in the rain.

The way he took time to visit the orphanage and play with kids here.

How he helped the elderly couple in his apartment complex.

How he had Arima's back, even when he was chewing him out for his carelessness (as if Arima could _ever_ be careless.).

His smiles, rare as they were.

His devotion to his family.

And last, but not least, how he treated his friends and Arima himself.

He didn't care that Ichigo's diet was less than socially acceptable.

Ichigo was _his._

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued**_


	5. 004 - Engel

**_BREATH OF LIFE_**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own _Bleach_ or _Tokyo Ghoul_. Or the songs mentioned from this point onward. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.

 _ **Shout Out**_ : I _so_ want to sulk now it's not even funny. I really thought you all would see the two lovebirds as _friends_ first, not instant pairing. Oh well, the cat's out of the bag. _**R.A Cross**_ , this one is for you, and hope you like it. _ **Adel Mortescryche**_ , here's answer to your question. (And yes, Ichigo liking chocolate is a canon.) _**Pyrofoxxxx**_...they didn't kiss. Didn't cuddle. Didn't do anything lovey-dovey except going on a manhunt together, like good old buddies. Or something. So tell me again, just where did you see all the hearts and snuggles and cuddles in previous chapters again? (Not that you were wrong, but I am morbidly curious for some reason. I was sure you would've mistaken them as friends if I hadn't added that darned tag before proceeding to smash those two universes together.)

 _ **Warnings: **__**AU-verse, SLASH;**_ _**Kurosaki**_ _ **Ichigo/Arima Kishou**_ (younger version, of course) and Ichigo's little life problem.

* * *

 _ **004 – Engel**_

He was no angel.

In fact, he was sure that he was already assured a nice corner in hell for his doings.

He had moved away from his family ( _his sisters_ ,) to protect them.

It had taken a long and painful row with the Goat-face, but after that disastrous evening, Ichigo was changed… and not for the better.

A week after the surgery, he was allowed to go home.

The worst thing was when he couldn't eat - not that he didn't try, but he truly couldn't.

But everything, no matter how delicious, ended in the toilet bowl.

Ramen tasted like slimy, rotten worms.

Rice was like eating chewy gravel.

Fishes tasted like burnt rubber.

And oh, the horror of all horrors - chocolate now tasted like _despair._

Ichigo could have cried. Wait, he did cry. He outright bawled, even.

It was by pure dumb luck he had discovered black coffee staved some of that horrible gnawing in his stomach. He had to be careful, though. Goat-face would have had an aneurysm if he found Ichigo drinking _black coffee_ of all things at the tender age of six.

He had to go away. He had to protect his sisters from the monster that now resided within his skin.

 _He had to._

* * *

 ** _To Be Continued_**


	6. 005 - When They Come For Me

**_BREATH OF LIFE_**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I don't own _Bleach_ or _Tokyo Ghoul_. Or the songs mentioned from this point onwards. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.

 _ **Shout Out:**_ Okay, I am out of my mope corner... mostly. _This series will be updated on weekend,_ because I once again went in too deep, and I am working on two other projects now, and let's not mention the dreaded Real Life problem we all have. _  
_

_**Warnings:**_ _ **AU-verse, SLASH;**_ _**Kurosaki**_ _ **Ichigo/Arima Kishou**_ (younger version, of course) and unapologetic violence. (Blame the song.)

* * *

 _ **005 – When They Come For Me**_

Seireitei may have seemed like a peaceful town in the middle of nowhere. There was a hustle and bustle on the streets, people chatting, living and gossiping, with an occasional police force trudging through the masses or jumping above their heads -

 _CRASH, CRACKLE BOOM!_

Suddenly, the eastern section of the walls crumbled in the cacophony of sounds, plaster, wood and concrete, with the accompanying mad cackle of one Zaraki Kenpachi.

"Good, good! This is fun, GIVE ME MORE!" The berserker cried out loudly at his opponent that stood in front of him, four of the red tentacles that had emerged from his red-cloaked lower back swaying behind his back threateningly.

There was no rest for the wicked.

In this case, the Shinigami forces were trying - and failing to catch - a particular invader of this peaceful town.

It had been sheer dumb luck Zaraki has even found him, as the kid didn't have any spiritual pressure to speak of. But Zaraki had a nose for strong opponents, and his nose - more like scent of blood - had led him straight to the best fight ever!

Still cackling, he tore his eyepatch off, causing his reiatsu to skyrocket.

"LET'S GO, BASTARD!"

His opponent cocked his head.

"What's with all that light show?" He complained, the tentacles already moving at breakneck speed, intent on skewering their prey.

Only - they were stopped on the berserker's skin.

Grinning, Kenpachi grabbed one of the tentacles in question and yanked its owner to him via it to give him a very sanguine greeting of his own.

"I DON'T HAVE THE FUCKING TIME TO PLAY WITH YOU!" His opponent screeched at him, not in fear, but with apoplectic rage of someone that was already very late for their rendezvous.

Two other tentacles came from sides, and impaled his ears, causing Kenpachi to howl with pain, but he still held onto his pry.

"THEN MAKE SOME!" His bloody grin was terrifying as he glared at his opponents.

"Be fucking _careful_ what you wish for." Came a hiss in front of him, and then, his sternum exploded with pain.

* * *

 _ **To Be Continued**_


	7. 006 - Pompeii

**_BREATH OF LIFE_**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:** _ I don't own _Bleach_ or _Tokyo Ghoul_. Or the songs mentioned from this point onwards. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.

 _ **Shout Out:**_ As I was editing the _**Fire And Ice** _ (yes, yes, new chapter will be out soon), I couldn't help myself not to poke at this little project of mine some more. _ **R.A Cross**_ , one more into the Quincy breach, along with Arima. _**RazNeirohDiLacrihm**_ , you will just have to wait and see, but Ken-chan is still alive... mostly.

 _ **Warnings:** __**AU-verse, SLASH;**_ a certain Quincy may have bitten off more than he could chew. Ah, yes. Some of you asked me which version of Arima I meant. Most of you are familiar with the grown-up, white-haired one. I am working with the teenage, blue-haired one. If you want to see how he looked when he was young, search the pics on the internet for _'young Arima'._ And yes, young Arima is a canon. Hope that cleared the confusion.

* * *

 _ **006 - Pompeii**_

Ishida Uryuu didn't know what to think anymore. There he was, wasting the last dregs of his power after he performed _Letzt Still_ , and there was nothing that could have stopped that Mayuri monster from coming and making him his very own experiment a la Quincy.

He shook with the pain and effort that took of him to stand upright.

' _Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit! I was too cocky!'_

He swallowed harshly, feeling the bitter tang of iron slid down his throat.

"He, he, he. Thank you for delivering yourself to me, mister _Last Quincy_." Mayuri's cocky words caused his heart to burn with regrets. "I will be sure to appreciate you as my special specimen. Isn't that a wonderful conclusion of our little battle?"

"Go to _hell_ , Mayuri." He hissed as his knees finally gave out.

All that training and for what?

To become a specimen to a madman that helped in genocide of his people?

Uryuu's eyesight blurred.

How pitiful.

Mayuri's gloating was interrupted. "Oh? There are _two_ of you? Splendid!"

Uryuu's body jolted.

 _Arima!_

"Get - away!" He choked out.

The slow, measured steps halted beside him. Something black was swimming in Uryuu's eyes - and he hastily rubbed at his eyes, only to recognize the blackness as the guitar case Kurosaki's friend was toting around.

"What, you want to serenade him?" He snarked, a corner of his mouth twitching downward bitterly at the guy's insanity.

"No need." Arima's soft voice replied to him evenly. He opened the case, and Ishida blinked dumbly at the three cylinders that resided in the case, before his eyes widened with recognition.

"You are - !"

Slender hands reached in the case and retrieved two of the three cylinders, igniting them.

"I am."

And then, he sprang forward, leaving behind one hapless Quincy archer who was just now beginning to comprehend that he may have waded into something just a tad bit too deep for his tastes.

The strange baby/caterpillar hybrid screeched with pain as it was sliced in half for the second time this day.

" _Ooh._ You are not normal, Arima-kun. Want to become my specimen? I promise I will take a _very_ good care of you." Ishida shuddered at Mayuri's slick tones.

Platinum colored eyes of his attacker were emotionless, causing the one Kurotsuchi Mayuri to involuntarily step back. He had stared death in the face on a regular basis, but this was like staring into abyss.

And no matter how depraved Mayuri was, even he could become uncomfortable in front of this… boy.

Not even Yamamoto- _soutaicho_ managed to evoke feelings of dread in the pit of his stomach, and yet –

"I'll have to respectfully decline." Arima murmured, and then, there was a shriek when his blade was broken in half, causing the Captain of 12th division screech with fury, before the sound was cut short by the sword's blade cutting in his gut and the pain spread through his body like fiery acid.

Gurgling an incomprehensible curse at the brat, Mayuri turned into his liquid form and quickly slunk away.

Just _what_ was that brat?

* * *

Dazed, Uryuu watched Arima placing one of those strange swords back into the case and closing it, before heaving it on his back again.

"Are you able to walk, Ishida-kun?" Arima's soft voice muttered to him, causing him to blink.

"You're CCG." He instead blurted out.

Arima nodded. "Yes. Shall we move on?"

Uryuu swallowed. "How did Kurosaki get someone like you here?" He pressed on, even when he grabbed the offered hand, and exhaled a hiss of pain when Arima hauled him upwards, supporting his body the best he could while he had the sword, now in the form of deactivated cylinder, in his left hand.

"We're friends."

He felt Uryuu's disbelieving glare at his person.

"It can't be that simple." Uryuu protested, glaring.

Arima felt his lips twitch in a facsimile of smile.

"But it is."

* * *

 _ **/To Be Continued/**_


	8. 007 - Untraveled Road

**_BREATH OF LIFE_**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:** _ I don't own _Bleach_ or _Tokyo Ghoul_. Or the songs mentioned from this point onwards. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.

 _ **Warnings:** __**AU-verse, SLASH;**_ flash-forward to the scene on the Sokyoku Hill. I don't have good song for Ichigo-Kenpachi fight conclusion yet, so if you have any suggestions, then they would be appreciated.

* * *

 ** _007 - Untraveled Road_**

"Kuchiki Rukia. For your crime of illegally lending your powers to a living person, you will be executed via Kikuou, as per Central 47's orders." The ancient man's voice was calm, if a little bit scratchy when he told the prisoner the verdict.

Rukia stood still, even if her heart had sunk to the bottom of the pit of despair in that moment. She had prayed, hoped… that there would be some last-minute miracle, but there was no miracles, only the inevitability of being killed because her mission had gone awry. Not only that, but she managed to drag down Karin-chan, too.

Sha was the worst.

A failure.

"Kurosaki Karin. For your crime of taking one Kuchiki Rukia's powers in an illegal procedure, you will be executed via Kikuou, as per Central 47's orders." Yamamoto thumped his cane on the ground. "Commence the execution."

Mutely, the girls allowed themselves to be led forward, the execution blocks grasping their wrists and ankles and lifting them in the air, their bodies in a cross position, the white of their kimonos a mocking countenance to the painful pale blue of the sky.

She swallowed as she watched the ground became smaller and smaller underneath her feet, knowing that when this farce of an execution would be finished, her body would be ashes, dancing in the wind.

Pitiful. She was so pitiful. Why was she even hoping, when she knew with an utter certainty that there was no hope anymore?

She looked to her right, where she was.

Kurosaki Karin.

The girl was staring onto the horizon, her eyes suspiciously glassy and her chin trembling slightly, even if she still held up her head stubbornly. Rukia's heart clenched painfully.

She was so, so young.

It wasn't fair that Karin-chan was paying for her mistakes with her life.

"Karin I am so – "

"Nii-chan. I believe in Nii-chan." Rukia's mouth snapped shut as she heard the stubborn girl's almost inaudible mutter. "He will come for me. He _will_."

Swallowing, Rukia's eyes were squeezed shut.

She was still believing.

Ahead of them, a great bird of fire materialized from the enormous spear with a shrill, yet melodious cry.

Rukia closed her eyes.

This… was the end.

The rapidly approaching heat, however, didn't sear her skin.

Previously closed eyes snapped open, revealing disbelieving violet irises.

 _'_ _What - ?'_

Here, in front of here, hovered Kikuou, but for some reason, the bird couldn't move forward - the reason for it were two thick red ropes squeezing its neck, leading to the lower back of a man, covered in dark red cloak with a hood.

"Nii-chan!" Karin's joyous voice caused the female Kuchiki to drop her jaw.

 _That_ was Karin's _brother_?"

"Karin…What I said to you about getting into trouble?" The voice that came from under the hood was stern, low tenor. It wasn't the most melodious of sounds, but it exuded authority, causing Rukia to subconsciously straighten out her spine.

"But I had to, Nii-chan! The Hollow would have eaten Yuzu and Goat-face otherwise!" Karin argued back. "You would've done the same!" The stubborn glare she aimed at her big brother made Rukia wince in expectation of the explosion from their strange savior.

"… We'll talk about it later." With those ominous words, another two thick ropes slithered from the stranger's lower back, and stabbed behind the bird's eyes, causing it to screech with pain and flap its wings frantically, the resulting wind blowing the hood off his face, exposing the grinning skull-white mask with stylized black lines leading from the center to the outer edges of it on its right side, while the left one was completely white. His hair was vibrant orange color, arranged in spikes, likening him to some kind of an orange hedgehog.

But that wasn't what caused Rukia's blood to positively freeze in her veins.

It was the rescuer's right eye.

Black sclera and… blood red iris.

A moment later, the man jumped onto the arbor that held the girls in the place.

"What the hell are you doing! This is dangerous!" Rukia finally found a voice to scream at the strange apparition.

"Getting you two out of these shackles. Now be quiet!" The man snapped back at her, causing Rukia to glare at him.

How rude!

"But you can't – " She tried again.

Red eyes glared at her. "Watch me."

With that, the four ropes - tentacles, Rukia noted with horrified fascination, unfurled through the sky, before they sharpened and snapped down to the middle of the bean on which he was standing.

With a mighty crack and a shockwave, the stone had shattered and began falling to the ground, along with the captives it held in its hold a moment before.

Rukia's heart jumped in her throat _(-that weightless moment before the inevitable fall_ \- ), but just a moment later, something wrapped itself around her waist, and then, she was safe, with the stranger standing on the pole, looking at the speechless crowd below them.

"Ichi-nii… You came." Karin's voice was full of relief and happiness, prompting the orange-haired man to incline his head to her.

"Of course- I will always come for you. But don't think we won't have words about your little adventure."

Taken aback, Rukia watched the usually brisk, more-bite-than-bark Kurosaki Karin splutter before she glared at her brother. If she could, she would've even crossed her arms in her chest. Instead she huffed. "Yeah, yeah, heard it all before, Ichi-nii." She grumbled, her mouth curving in a petulant pout, causing her brother to chuckle at her antics.

"So… do you have a plan for getting us out of there?" Rukia asked, looking at the gathered Captains below them apprehensively. "Because there's no way we could get us out of this mess safely."

The masked face turned to her briefly before looking down.

"We beat them and run."

It was Rukia's turn to splutter. "You - You can't! This is a suicide!"

"Ishida, Yasutora and Inoue are here. For both of you." Ichigo's calm reply filled Rukia with gratitude, terror and shame. "This is the least we can do."

"Besides…" Confused, Rukia felt the tentacle that was holding her near her strange savior, began to lift her up. "It won't be you who will be doing the beating. Hey! You two! CATCH!"

With that, both Rukia and Karin found themselves hurling through the air toward their lucky recipients, screaming all the while.

* * *

"ICHIGO, YOU BASTARD!" Karin's incensed howl caused Ichigo to laugh at his cute little sister's red face. For a moment, he wished for a camera, because the subsequent collision of the two pairs was comical to the extreme.

"SHE COULD'VE DIED, YOU IDIOT!" Both Pineapple and Snowflake roared at him, causing his kagune to twitch in amusement before he sobered up again.

"Take them away from here!" He barked at the girls human cushions. "This is your job!"

The Snowflake was clever enough to grab Karin and sped away, with the Pineapple copying his actions post-haste.

He could only hope his trust wasn't misplaced.

With that thought in mind, he propelled himself down in front of the pursuers, halting their advancement.

* * *

 _'_ _What the hell is he?'_

The question echoed inside Kuchiki clan leader's head.

The strange man had demolished three lieutenants as if they were mere Academy brats and not some of the strongest fighters aside Captains Seireitei had to offer. To add the insult to injury, the man didn't use those strange tentacles, but only his physical prowess... and still managed to either break or shatter their Shikai. The worst thing was, this stranger didn't use even a drop of _reiatsu i_ n the process.

And then, this monster in human guise turned toward him, a single black and red eye boring into his own dark grey gaze.

"You are pitiful."

Byakuya bristled. Outside, he still looked like stern-ice faced leader of the sixth division, but his mind was different story.

Relief, anger, resentment, disgust ( _With whom? Himself or that strange apparition?_ ) but he reined them in with an iron will made of duty and honor.

Out of all the words he had expected, the masked bastard just had to choose those ones.

Worse even, his voice was calm, as if he were lecturing a disobedient child.

"You would kill your own family for the sake of rules."

"Because I'm not above them." Byakuya heard himself responding as he glared at his soon-to-be opponent. He drew out his sword, feeling its weight in his hand keenly - familiar, comforting and ready to slice the impudent fool in front of him into bloody ribbons at his behest.

"I will kill you. And then, I will kill her and your sister with my own hands. " He murmured, gray eyes narrowing slightly.

"No. That's not going to happen. I came here to make sure of that."

And then, a moment later, they clashed.

The blade screeched against the strange red tentacle, causing Byakuya's eyes to widen as it broke in front of his eyes, forcing him to hastily use _Shunpo_ as to make a safe distance between the two of them.

However, his enemy followed him, as if he had expected this to happen, the two of those ribbons/tentacles whipping forward, spearing the air in front of him like vanguards of death itself.

"Hado number 4 - _Byakurai!_ " Byakuya hurriedly spat out, releasing the thunderous whitish blue crackle of lightning at his opponent and piercing his right shoulder.

Not that it stopped the man – beast – whatever his opponent was, because a scant moment later, twin tentacles crashed against the place where he had stood a scant second before, shattering it into smithereens.

"Ah. Seems you got a lucky shot." The man mused, as his hand closed down on the wound momentarily as he winced. "Sheesh, Arima will be pissed."

Byakuya's brain worked miles per second.

 _'_ _If not weapons then – '_

"That's the least of your worries. Hado number 33 – _Kurohitsugi!_ " He declared as he released a torrent of _reiatsu,_ condensed in the form of blue flames toward his nemesis covering his form in firestorm.

Gray eyes widened as they took in a storm of… petals? Coming from the nexus of the bombardment.

Contrarily to his pale pink, those were shimmery red, like the petals of red roses. The sight would have been beautiful if not for the circumstance he was witnessing their bloom, the improvised tentacle-shield flaking away under the onslaught of fire.

Then, the nexus _moved._

Byakuya exhaled a startled grunt as the fist buried itself in his gut with enough force to leave him dry-heaving for a moment, only for his chin to be hit next, the pain a belated flare in the back of his bran.

' _How – how dare he!'_

Byakuya glared up at his opponent. If he was going down, well, he would, but not without taking the smug son of a bitch with him!

The black petals glinted in the man's orange hair like some form of crystallized blood or red glass as he used the _Shunpo_ to close the distance between them and delivered the kick into his gut, causing the man to cough and for the tentacle to wrap around his ankle before flinging him away like he was some kind of an insect.

 _"_ _Kurohitsugi!"_ Byakuya barked out, sending a new wave of pale fire toward the masked man and forcing him to use his tentacles as a shield again.

This time, he kept the bombardment until the silver of a moment it took to attack him behind his back –

-and his gut was being sliced by a white-red hot pain, causing him to scream in agony.

"This was what you would condemn your sister to. Is it worth it?" The muffled voice Byakuya slowly came to loathe, asked him.

Blearily, Byakuya glared up into that single damn red eye, the blood tasting like bitter iron on his tongue.

"You can thank your sister for your life."

The tentacle slid out of his body, causing the previously unruffled, noble, icy captain of the Sixth division choke on a new wave of blood flooding his mouth.

His eyesight blurring, the last thing he saw was a red cloak with that damned orange hair topping the man's head.

Byakuya was sure… he hated the color orange.

* * *

 _ **/To Be Continued/**_


	9. 008 - Savior

**_BREATH OF LIFE_**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:** _ I don't own _Bleach_ or _Tokyo Ghoul_. Or the songs mentioned from this point onwards. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.

 _ **Warnings:** __**AU-verse, SLASH;**_ flash-forward once again, this time in Karin's POV. My playlist took the prerogative. Sorry but not sorry.

* * *

 _ **008 - Savior**_

Karin watched the rain pounding down the windows with an empty gaze.

They were back to the world of living, and everything seemed like a bad dream. Only –

Her eyes slid to the small, pentagram-shaped, skull-stylized badge on the table.

\- It wasn't.

It was real like kick in the gut that bastard Renji had delivered to her when she tried to keep him from taking Rukia to Seireitei to be judged and executed.

It was the worst.

When she finally thought she was doing something to help, something that helped to sew shut the yawning chasm in the depth of her soul that was made with death of her mother and absence of her brother, she was once again proven wrong.

Her jaw hurt from grinding her teeth close for so long, but it was either that or wake the house with her screams.

She wanted to howl. She wanted to kick someone, or better, bust certain someone's nuts because he was an idiot, and asshole and the biggest idiot - yes, she was aware she was repeating herself - in the world, be that in living or soul dimension!

What was Urahara _thinking_ , getting her _brother_ of all people in the mess!

No. There was no one else, anyway.

Definitely not Goat Face. And for heaven's sake, Yuzu was not even the last option. She would've sooner chose Mizuru than Yuzu, her gentle, cheerful little sister.

The aftermath after Aizen's betrayal was like some kind of a bad dream.

She couldn't do anything.

And her brother - her brother was forced to shield her with his own body while they attacked her, thinking that she was that Aizen bastard!

In the end, he was more of a mass of blood and shredded meat and broken bones than something resembling a human, and she still heard his bones breaking and re-breaking themselves under the constant barrage of blows, and her nose was clogged with the scent of blood, sickly sweet and bitter, with a hint of iron thrown in.

But he didn't let her go.

Her Nii-chan protected her till the very end.

Of course, he had insisted that everything was okay, but she knew her nii-chan, knew how to read the tense strain in the corner of his eyes and the pallid shade of his face.

She wasn't allowed to stay with him, courtesy of that Ishida-look-alike friend of his.

Arima-san was scary. Outside, he may have looked like a gentler, more fragile version of Ishida, but Karin had instinctively felt that there was something _off_ with him. That prevented her from pressing too much into him… but maybe she should have.

Because then, she would've been closer to her Ichi-nii.

 _'_ _I'msorrysorrysososorrydamnyouforsavingmewhydidyouhavetobesuchanidiotsorrysorrySORRY - !'_

"Karin."

Jerking around, she looked straight in her brother's eyes.

His kind, brown eyes.

"Ichi-nii – " Her breath hitched.

Those deep hazel eyes softened, and usually scowling mouth's curve gentled itself in a small smile and Karin didn't know when she began crying, but the fat droplets of tears were sliding down her face.

"It's alright. Come here."

His soft, scratchy voice beckoned, and Karin dove for her brother, clutching to him like he was her only lifeline.

Strong, warm arms wound around her, cocooning her into a nest of warmth, reassurance, forgiveness and love she came to know as her big brother.

Outside, the rain continued to fall, cleansing the world of its sins.

* * *

 _ **/To Be Continued/**_


	10. 009 - Who Will Stop The Rain

**_BREATH OF LIFE_**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:** _ I don't own _Bleach_ or _Tokyo Ghoul_. Or the songs mentioned from this point onwards. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.

 _ **Shout Out:**_ I won't update this series this weekend, so I uploaded those two in advance. This will likely be irregularly updated for some time, looking at the schedule I am having right now, so the chapters may pop at any times of the day or night, wherever you receive them.

 _ **Warnings:** __**AU-verse, SLASH;**_ flash-forward, this time with Ichigo and Arima. Yes, yes, yes, was on a rain binge.

* * *

 ** _009 – Who Will Stop The Rain_**

The return home was quiet.

Well, as quiet as it could be, when traveling on the train.

Ichigo looked at Arima. The bespectacled teen was currently writing a report, as if the episode behind them was just a short holiday and not life-changing experience it had turned out to be.

The soft noises of the train speeding through the night almost lulled him back into sleep again, but he resisted.

There was so much to ponder.

Karin had found herself in a royal amount of trouble. Ichigo still wasn't convinced that his stubborn little sister wasn't intending to get back to doing the Shinigami duties the moment his back was turned, but if nothing else, he managed to extract a promise from that Urahara idiot to train her properly.

Not that it lessened his concerns any, but the other possibility - taking them to Tokyo into his flat - was simply unfeasible. It was bad enough he had been wounded to the point his regeneration was just shy of not kicking in automatically.

He winced at the thought of him having to take a chunk out of Arima's shoulder to kick start it to its usual speed. It was bad enough that he had used kagune when combating through the Seireitei and when saving the two girls, he was thankful that the mask had held on so that no one could get a good look on his face and subsequently, his eyes.

Being a half-ghoul sucked just as much as it was a hidden blessing in disguise when he had to get cross any of the RC scanners.

"You're thinking too much, Kurosaki." Arima's voice jolted him out of his dark thoughts.

"How many times do I have to tell you, call me _Ichigo_ , Arima!" He grouched back, glaring at his friend with half-exasperation.

Arima gave him a minuscule smile.

"As many as it takes for you to call me by my given name." Ichigo felt his cheeks heat at the tease.

"Not going to happen." He bit back, glaring at the smug CCG bastard. He had been friends with the bastard for a year, and he still called him by his surname, and Arima did likewise. It was an old joke between the two of them.

Huffing, he crossed his arms on his chest.

"They will be fine." Arima's voice caused his eyes to flicker in the Investigator's way. Platinum colored eyes slid in their deeper, softer mercury shade that made his gut involuntarily warm.

"Yeah, I suppose." He looked back to the window, looking at the steadily brightening morning sky. "And now, we are getting back to the old hell."

"It was inevitable." Arima's placid voice held a trace of aggravation within, and Ichigo smirked. He knew that his friend was no big fan of paperwork, and their week-long absence was guaranteed to produce nightmarish amounts of the cursed stuff.

"All the joys to you." He couldn't help but snark, and Arima glared at him.

"If I'm going down, I am taking you with me."

Ichigo grinned. "That's the spirit."

When he looked back through the window, he failed to notice Arima's gaze soften even further when his friend watched him.

They may be returning back to the danger and bloodshed, but they were going back _together._

Outside, the rain slowly petered off into drizzle, leaving the air mellow and clear and with something like hope hanging in the air.

* * *

 _ **/To Be Continued/**_


	11. 010 - Don't Cry

**_BREATH OF LIFE_**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:** _ I don't own _Bleach_ or _Tokyo Ghoul._ Or the songs mentioned from this point onwards. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.

 _ **Shout Out:**_ A little bit something to interrupt the monotony of the Sunday rolling around. Yep. Still not according to a timeline, but where would be the fun in that?

 _ **Warnings:** __**AU-verse, SLASH;**_ and semi-according to a canon. Really.

* * *

 ** _010 – Don't Cry_**

The scene haunted him.

The kind, gentle Father… feasting on the corpse of his best friend.

Sallow skin splattered with blood, as if he were some kind of savage.

 _"_ _Join me."_

Soft words with the undercurrent of poison reverberated inside his skull.

Everything he had ever believed in was false.

The scent of blood hovered in the air, heavy, sickly, potent, the wrong kind of sweet fragrance –

-how many times did they eat a soup? Made from the bones of their friends and crushes?

He remembered Maya - kind, sweet little girl who loved drawing sunflowers.

Her dream was to have her very own flower shop.

He remembered her radiant face, when she told him that she was to be adopted at Christmas.

And then, the Christmas day, she wasn't at the orphanage anymore, but the kind Father said t her new caretakers left behind a roars pork for the kids to enjoy.

It was… _delicious._

His stomach clenched with revulsion, and his eyes stung.

He had cried so much, like an ocean of tears, and now his eyes were dry and itchy and his eyesight was blurred.

Those moments, when he scrambled away from the priest (- _monster_ -) in human skin, his mind broken and his trust shattered.

 _"_ _No. No, I'll never join you!"_

 _"_ _Oh, but you said that Maya's meat was delicious. You know, I've saved the best parts for you, Amon. Because you are such a good boy."_

In that moment, he wished to be a bad boy, the worst boy in the worst, just that he didn't have the weight of guild pressing on his slender shoulders.

He backed off, to the door, and then he bolted.

 _Th-Thud!_

 _Th-Thud!_

 ** _Th-Thud!_**

His heart beat was so fast it was almost painful.

"Oh, shame, shame, Amon-kun. To think I had _such_ big hopes for you…"

The voice behind him cooed mockingly.

It was the middle of the night, everything was sleeping like the dead (Koutarou didn't eat that soup tonight), and he was here, a fat, juicy snack for this monster of a ghoul that dared to call himself - no, itself - a humble servant of God.

He had to get away.

He had to –

Scrambling, he ran through the hallway, slivers of gray and dark flashing past his eyesight.

 _'_ _Please, someone, anyone, help - !'_

When he ran into something soft that emitted a startled _'oof!_ ' at the impact.

Koutarou's blood froze in his veins.

He was doomed.

* * *

He startled out of his dream, panting and sweating, his body hurting from the impact with floor.

It took him several minutes to take the stock of his surroundings _(he was safe now, safe, safe, safe, the monster was dead,)_ before he recognized the small room he was in.

He was in Ichigo-san's apartment.

The small bedroom was sparse with personal knick-knacks, and aside the bed and table with a chair and some books, the place was utterly unremarkable.

But the scent –

Koutarou inhaled it shakily.

The mixture of motor oil and faintest hint of lavender with the iron (sickening) note of blood –

\- He had to remind himself _he_ - _was_ - _safe_ –

"Koutarou?" A voice caused him to whip his head towards its source.

And there he was, spiky orange hair, dark brown eyed , clad in dark gray sleeveless shirt with black boxers, standing at the door with concerned frown on his face.

"Ichigo-san – " His voice tumbled past his lips like tiny shards of shattered glass ( _broken trust_ ), as he watched the sunset-haired young man with eyes, wide with fear.

He wanted to go to him – Ichigo-san was safe, but he was also one of those flesh-eating monsters –

He unconsciously backed to the headrest, and Ichigo's face fell minutely before the oranget composed himself, giving him a small, understanding, if a little brittle smile.

"Shall I call Arima?" Ichigo's voice was soft and gentle – like father Donato's –

Ichigo didn't move from the doorstep and Koutarou was both terribly glad and disappointed.

He was safe, but he was bereft.

 _"No!"_ His mouth interrupted Ichigo's turn, causing those kind brown eyes concentrate on him again, and suddenly, Koutarou didn't care anymore.

He scrambled off the floor, practically running to his savior ( _damnation_ ,) and crashed into him, small arms hugging the teen around his waist desperately.

"Oi, Koutarou - !" Ichigo's flustered voice cause Koutarou to snuggle deeper into the warmth (danger) that was the teen's body.

"Please." The boy's voice was positively tiny."

"I understand if you don't feel comfortable with me, Kou. I am one of those monsters too – "

 _"_ _No!"_ Koutarou lifted his head, looking up into those brown (not red and black) eyes. "I know what you are! But I-I feel safe - Please…"

He hid his head against Ichigo's sternum, inhaling the strange scent of motor oil and lavender. Strong hands wrapped around his own body, causing him to involuntarily relax.

"Okay, brat. C'mere. Just for tonight, mind you." Ichigo's voice rumbled gently through his body and Koutarou pressed closer. "And don't cry."

* * *

"Ichigo? You will be late – "

Arima cut himself off at the sight that greeted his eyes.

A small boy was curled in the orange-haired's teen embrace, unconsciously nuzzling into his chest, while Ichigo laid on his back, one hand wrapped around the boy and another splayed across the bed carelessly. The sunlight was still weak enough not to wake him up, but it had been bright enough to highlight the contrast between the orange hair, the pallor of his skin and dark clothes he wore to the bed, with the hem sliding up his stomach, exposing slightly muscled stomach.

The investigator's lips twitched into a smile.

A ghoul cuddling with a human child as they slept together, unaware of the cruel world that awaited them once they opened their eyes.

If he hadn't seen in with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it.

Gently, he closed the door and resolved to call the school to excuse Ichigo for today.

* * *

 _ **/To Be Continued/**_


	12. 011 - All The Small Things

**_BREATH OF LIFE_**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:** _ I don't own _Bleach_ or _Tokyo Ghoul_. Or the songs mentioned from this point onwards. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.

 _ **Shout Out:**_ My eyebrows are raised right now. Just out of curiosity - how many of you actually recognize the songs mentioned at the beginning of the snippets? And do feel free to suggest some new tracks.

 _ **Warnings:** __**AU-verse, SLASH;**_ Ichigo and Arima bonding before the mess in the Seireitei.

* * *

 _ **011 - All The Small Things**_

"Arima. Why. Are You. Not. Eating. Properly?"

Arima looked up from the latest report he was writing for his superiors into seriously pissed-off brown eyes of the person that was his best friend.

They were on the school's roof, enjoying the pleasant warmth of the sun on their skin. It was as if the Lantern fiasco hadn't happened, and the two boys were just a pair of regular high schoolers taking advantage of their lunch break.

"I am not hungry. Honestly." Arima responded, before returning his gaze back to the report only to have it snatched away.

"Hey!" He snapped, scowling at the orange menace that held the papers he was working on hostage.

"Don't you _'hey'_ me, you bastard!" Ichigo snapped back, scowling thunderously. "I have a valid reason but you are straight out starving yourself!"

Arima winced.

"I… forgot?" He offered, but even to him, his voice didn't sound certain.

And Ichigo knew it, too, if his narrowed gaze was any indication.

"That's it. You are coming with me."

Arima blinked owlishly.

* * *

After the classes, the blue-haired teen found himself trailing behind the scowling and grumbling form of his friend in the nearby supermarket where he snatched the ingredients he needed before they were once again on the streets, braving the afternoon crowd on their way to Ichigo's apartment.

"Why do you care?" Arima couldn't help himself but ask.

He had been raised as a weapon, Arima knew that much.

He had comrades, an end goal and supervisors.

The white of the room he was assigned to, mint-pale examination robes, blood and questions and answers and praise aside and the dull everyday schedule shattered by an occasional – but now increasingly more frequent - missions.

"Why shouldn't I? Ichigo bit back. "Isn't that what friends do?"

Arima stumbled.

Ichigo considered them friends?

 _"Eh?!"_ He didn't just squawk.

He felt his cheeks heat with mortification.

Arima was _not_ a squawking sort of person.

"But – "

"If you are trying to tell me we can't be friends because you are CCG and I am technically your prey, well, then that's too bad." Ichigo snapped back as he strode forward, forcing Arima to hurry after him.

Arima was sure his face was now hot enough to cook an egg or two.

"No, I didn't mean that!" He denied, bashfully lowering his gaze away from those blazing brown eyes. "But… Thanks."

Ichigo blinked.

"Oh… Are you blushing now?" The orange-haired teen was now smirking impishly at him, causing the CCG reaper to cough with embarrassment.

Arima glared. "Shut up!"

* * *

Ichigo's apartment reminded Arima of his own sparsely furnishing place. But while Arima's little abode was all white and black (with some chrome thrown in), Ichigo's was an eclectic mixture of colors. Earthy brown linoleum floor, cream-colored walls with the papers with kiddy drawings being scattered here and there, and an occasional motorbike poster interrupting the theme. On the windowsill, there was a pair of cacti, one in a full bloom, its orange flowers enlivening the small space.

It was not the environment Arima would have expected a ghoul to live in.

Shows how much he knew about his … friend.

The kitchenette was a cross between the kitchen and a small living room, if it could be even called that. The walls were colored in a butter yellow paint that contrasted with the light gray and dull white of the furniture. There were small scratches and scuffles on the surface, giving the room a lived in feel which made Arima feel both at home and disquieted.

* * *

"Dig in."

Arima looked up from the report he was pretending to examine for faults for the n-th time at the plate that was placed in front of him. He had offered to help Ichigo to prepare the food, but Ichigo rebuffed him - he was the host, so Arima would just have to sit his ass down on the chair and wait for the food.

 _'Curry rice.'_ Arima inhaled the aroma. It was slightly spicy yet sweet, which was unexpected, as he knew that to ghouls, normal food seemed to be alike garbage, both scent and taste-wise.

He placed the report aside and took up the spoon.

"Thanks for the food." He muttered before digging in. Mercury colored eyes widened with surprise.

The taste exploded on his tongue. The soft, mellow rice, accentuated by the curry which was both sweet and slightly sour, prompting him to scoop another spoonful.

How could Ichigo cook so well?

Arima's stomach growled with approval, causing him to concentrate on his meal.

Food now, questions later.

* * *

"It was delicious." Arima complimented the cook who was sipping his cup of coffee languidly as he sat opposite him.

Ichigo snorted. "Deliciously disgusting, maybe." Brown eyes flickered up to Arima's face before looking out through the window.

The young investigator got a feeling that Ichigo didn't deal well with being complimented. He wondered why. The food Ichigo put in front of him was perfectly edible, which was no small feat, considering that Ichigo was a ghoul and couldn't taste the human food right, courtesy of his screwed up biology.

But that wasn't the only problem, Arima noted to himself silently. For some reason, Ichigo was deprecating of his abilities, be that mental or physical ones. It was like Ichigo didn't even value himself.

Lowering his eyes, Arima pondered about his new, yet old revelation.

Ichigo was a strange conundrum. Rebel, yet not. Ghoul, yet not conforming to the whims of his species. Strangely, Ichigo wasn't a member of any of the packs that ran through Tokyo, yet he wasn't a lone wolf either. He knew what Arima was - an enemy of ghouls - yet he acted like he cared about Arima's health and by proxy, Arima himself.

How long was since someone truly cared for Arima Kishou as a person, and not only as prodigy or weapon?

Too long.

Blinking his eyes, Arima forced the tears back and he hid his smile behind another mouthful of piping hot, delicious curry.

People tried to impress the young CCG investigator with gear and grand things.

It was interesting, that the ones that reached Arima, were small ones, like an afternoon meal in the den of his ghoul friend, one Kurosaki Ichigo.

* * *

 _ **/To Be Continued/**_


	13. 012 - Breaking The Habit

**_BREATH OF LIFE_**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:** _ I don't own _Bleach_ or _Tokyo Ghoul_. Or the songs mentioned from this point onward. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.

 _ **Shout Out:**_ This one is a little bit darker than usual, but with having _Tokyo Ghoul_ in the mix, is kind of unavoidable. It's interesting that _Tokyo Ghoul_ is, at least for me, far more realistic than _Bleach,_ both depiction and characters-wise. So this won't be your usual run-of-the-mill fic either. Ichigo is not so much of a hero but a leading character - at least partially - shaped by his brutal past and circumstances. Being a half-ghoul is not all picnic and daisies.

 _ **Warnings:** __**AU-verse, SLASH;**_ **trigger warning** for non-con.

* * *

 ** _012 Breaking The Habit_**

Ichigo wasn't one for violence. Not always, anyway.

The penchant for violence, if one could say that, bloomed in the dark night of his third day in the Tokyo.

The coffee could carry him on only so far. He had been exhausted to the bone – from the row with Goat-face, to the calming his scared sisters, assuring them he would be alight so far away from them, barely biting back the reason why he was going away from them ( _because he was a monster_ ).

He was a scaredy-cat, a cry-baby, not worth of the name his beloved mother gave him.

What kind of protector caused the death of his mother, the sun of their family, and then got changed into a flesh-eating monster, anyway?

In some ways, Ichigo thought that him being a monster was a fitting punishment for his thoughtless actions when he tried to save the little girl that changed into a big, scary monster.

He had escaped the confines of his apartment in the dead of the night, walking through the noisy, kaleidoscope-bright streets, barely swallowing back the saliva at the scents that surrounded them, the meat surrounding him, so delicious like his mum's curry –

But that didn't solve his problem of being just a small boy, and most importantly, a hungry one.

His sight blurring with pain, both one in his gut and one in his heart he ducked into one of the less reputable streets, hoping against hope he would be safe here. Safe from temptation, safe from –

A rough hand grabbed him by the shoulders, and Ichigo cringed, curling into himself –

"Oh, what do we have 'ere?" A raspy voice chuckled into his ear. "You are simply _delicious_." Another hand pressed a sweet smelling rag into his face, forcing him to inhale the fumes and making him dizzy and after two inhales-exhales all Ichigo could see was darkness.

Ichigo didn't want to recall the moments when he woke up.

Even now, more grown up and stronger, he still shuddered when remembering the face of the man who whispered dirty things in his ears when he touched him in those no-no places his mum told him about, telling him how beautiful he was and how much pleasure he would give the man, just like a greedy little bitch as he tore his trousers off his body–

-and Ichigo snapped. Something reared within him, furious and angry and hungry and he felt an intense heat on his lower back, with a wet sound accompanying it and it was like having an additional pair of hands, only on his back, ropy, and strangely smelling causing the man to widen his eyes with horror, as he tried to let go of Ichigo, but Ichigo's small hands grabbed his wrists, barely encircling half of them, but crushing them all the same, causing the man to emit half choke and half gurgle of agony and then, the _handsonhisback_ shoot forward, small and fragile and yet enough to pierce the man's stomach, causing the delicious scent spill out, along with the blood, like one of mum's delicious meat buns and Ichigo was so very very _hungry_ –

In the back of his mind he belatedly heard the bad man's pleading and begging with him to not – _just not_ \- but Ichigo was too far gone both on rage, hunger and terror to listen as he dug his clawed hands into his guts, dragging out the slimy, but oh-so-sweet-smelling _something_ , lifting it to his lips and _biting_ –

Later on, he had been found by a well-meaning passerby, and assumed a collateral victim/witness of the man's brutal murder.

* * *

Ichigo's listlessness and his clothes having been more or less torn apart earned him the sympathies of the police personnel, along with their frustration, because Ichigo didn't tell them anything apart of the standard spiel of him having been taken by the bad man who then did some no-no things to him - or at least tried, as someone had interfered and apparently killed him in a traumatizing enough murder to leave the poor kid in a shock, strong enough to cause an amnesia, especially when the kid had been found lying on the man's cadaver, his face, and the front of his body smeared with cooling blood, but thankfully none of it was of the boy's.

The entire affair had been hushed up, both for Ichigo's and public's sake, though Ichigo's caretaker attempted to coddle the boy for a good month or two to let him recover from the bloody adventure he had unwillingly been a part to.

There was at least one good thing out of the entire mess - after a long time, Ichigo was full again, even if he did feel sick at the mess he had caused in the process.

* * *

After that first, disastrous forage into the Tokyo's underbelly, Ichigo became determined to protect himself to almost scary degree. He convinced Matsuda-san to sign him a waiver for attending the martial arts school in his free time, which he attended almost zealously. Even if he had been termed as an ankle-biter at first, his thirst for learning and stubbornness quickly elevated him through the ranks. He stumbled in his training with weapons - bigger ones were a no-go for him, but at least he managed to begin to hit the center with knives.

Three months later, Jackal made his debut in the underground. Not that anyone knew of it, because the ones who came into contact with him usually ended dead and in pieces one little orange-haired boy hauled to his apartment piece by piece as if they were his bloody prize.

Ichigo broke his habit of being a helpless victim, but the price of survival may have been too high.

He became a monster.

* * *

 _ **/To Be Continued/**_


	14. 013 - The Pretender

**_BREATH OF LIFE_**

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:** _ I don't own _Bleach_ or _Tokyo Ghoul_. Or the songs mentioned from this point onwards. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.

 _ **Shout Out:**_ Fine, fine, my inspiration is railroaded by my song choices, I admit it. Am sorry for it? No. Because I just had to write it out, so there.

 _ **Warnings:** __**AU-verse, SLASH;**_ a quick look on the TG side in the future.

* * *

 ** _013 The Pretender_**

"What if I say… I'm not like the others?" Kaneki's quiet voice echoed in the vast room, interspersed only with the sounds of the blood dripping on the floor, the soft _plip-plop_ of the liquid a mocking metronome of time.

"What?" His tormentor said, furrowing his non-existent eyebrows. Yamori blinked, and then chuckled with amusement. Oh-ho. This was something new.

Something twitched in Kaneki's brain, the soft scrap of pain flaring across his nerves, but the now white-haired teen didn't even flinch, despite the agony he was feeling at the movements.

"Eh, you are a good entertainment, Kaneki-kun. Better than any I've had before, but you know, our time of playing – "

 ** _"_** What if I say I'm not another of your plays?" Kaneki's soft, raspy voice interrupted the man in the middle of his monologue, causing him to frown.

"Then you wouldn't have been chained to this pretty little chair and allowing me to play with me, Kaneki-kun." Yamori sneered as he reached for the youth's chin, roughly yanking it up, glaring into those empty, dull eyes.

"You're the pretender." Kaneki's bloodless lips mouthed at him, soft and breathy, almost more of a sigh than words, than accusation. Small eyes flared wide with the outrage, how dare that little brat, how dare he to mock him, him, Jason Yamori - !

"What if I say…." Kaneki's words almost lost themselves in the loud screech of the chain breaking apart.

"I'll never surrender?"

Yamori didn't have any time to defend, as the white-haired devil jumped at him, the black and white scleras a mocking contrast to the tiles on the floor.

* * *

 _ **/To Be Continued/**_


End file.
